Hot Water Beach, Geothermal beach in Coromandel Peninsula, New Zealand

Hot Water Beach is a sandy beach on the east coast of the Coromandel Peninsula, just south of Mercury Bay and about 12 kilometres south east of Whitianga. Hot water rises from two underground fissures close together, reaching 64 °C, and emerges through the sand on the beach opposite the off-shore rocks. The springs are named Maori, in the north, and Orua, 20 metres to the south.

The springs rise from two fissures close together, named Maori in the north at 64 °C and Orua 20 m south at 60 °C. The heat comes from rock layers about 2 km down, near 170 °C, left by volcanic activity 5 to 9 million years ago. Cold groundwater seeps into the rock and hot water rises through cracks in its place. Visitor numbers were around 700,000 in 2011, about 210,000 from outside New Zealand.

The name refers directly to the hot springs beneath the sand that bathers use to create temporary pools. Visitors often bring spades and dig together, creating a social gathering on the shore.

Access to the thermal areas is only possible at low tide, so travelers should check tide tables and come roughly two hours before or after low water. A spade is helpful for digging your own pool, and many bring towels and drinking water.

At high tide the entire thermal zone disappears under seawater, so the beach looks like an ordinary coastal stretch. Just a few hours later, when the sea retreats, steaming spots appear in the wet sand.